This invention is in the field of portable computers and docking stations for portable computers.
Portable computers are known. Indeed, they comprise the fastest growing segment of the computer market, as more and more people, having come to rely on the capabilities of their desktop computer to increase their productivity, desire the same capabilities when they travel as they do when they are at work.
Although the capabilities of many portable computers closely match those of larger desktop machines, the expense of purchasing a second computer in addition to a desktop machine is difficult for many people to justify. Indeed, there is something inherently wasteful in having two different machines, each functionally nearly identical. In particular, most owners use only one of the machines at any given time. The other machine sits idle. In effect, the user owns two central processing units ("CPU"s), only one of which is operating at a time.
The dilemma posed to a consumer who desires the portability of a notebook computer and the full functionality of a desktop computer without the need of purchasing two separate systems has been recognized by the computer industry. One known solution is to offer a fully capable portable notebook computer which can be coupled to a separate stationary unit, the stationary unit frequently having additional data storage such as disk drives and additional display capabilities. These stationary units are commonly known as "docking stations".
Although the concept of a portable computer/docking station is an excellent one, as it eliminates the duplication of the CPU and greatly increases the ease with which data can be transferred from the portable computer to the desktop environment and vice versa, known embodiments of this concept have suffered from very poor implementation.
In some known portable computer/docking station systems, the method of coupling the portable computer to the docking station uses an extremely clumsy mechanical system which relies on user knowledge and skill to mate the computer and docking station successfully. Examples include latch systems where the computer owner must carefully align the connectors before mating the computer to the docking station. Even after the machines have been coupled together, the security of the latching mechanism is suspect. Also, these systems do not appear to be sufficiently durable to last for an acceptable period of time.
The manner that screen displays integrate with known docking stations is also less than ideal. Typically the screen must remain separate from the docking station, as the portable computer itself forms the top surface of the two units when they are docked together. This increase in the "footprint" of the system is certainly undesirable.
Most importantly, the electrical interface between the docking station and the portable computer is usually very crude. Unless the user follows a carefully prescribed set of instructions, the system crashes during either docking or undocking, resulting in a loss of data and possible damage to the components of either the docking station, the computer, or both. Even if the user carefully follows the instructions and completes a successful docking, the units must still be coupled to all external networks, peripherals and a power supply. Completing such connections is time consuming and prone to error.
In these systems, if undocking is commanded while in an application, the undocking occurs, but the system crashes and data is lost.
There thus remains a need for a fully functional portable computer that can be easily coupled to a docking station, the docking station offering increased data storage and increased video capabilities. The docking process itself should be completely transparent to the system's user, allowing docking and undocking to proceed with a minimum of user input and with many safeguards protecting the data and components in both units from accidental or even intentional misuse. It should also be possible for owners of a portable computer/docking station to use their portable computer with other docking stations without the need for extensive system reconfiguration.